What is "tank"

Tank \Tank\ (t[a^][ng]k), n. [Pg. tanque, L. stangum a pool; or perhaps of East Indian origin. Cf. Stank, n.]

1. A large basin or cistern; an artificial receptacle for liquids.

2. A pond, pool, or small lake, natural or artificial.

   We stood in the afterglow on the bank of the tank and saw the ducks come home.
   --F. Remington.

   The tanks are full and the grass is high.
   --Lawson.

3. (Mil.) a heavily armored combat vehicle which moves on caterpillar treads, rather than wheels. It typically carries a cannon and a heavy machine, and sometimes other weapons. It is the main distinguishing weapon of an armored division.

4. a jail cell for temporarily holding prisoners, as in a police station.

   Tank engine, a locomotive which carries the water and fuel it requires, thus dispensing with a tender.

   Tank iron, plate iron thinner than boiler plate, and thicker than sheet iron or stovepipe iron.

   Tank worm (Zo["o]l.), a small nematoid worm found in the water tanks of India, supposed by some to be the young of the Guinea worm.

Tank \Tank\ (t[a^][ng]k), n. A small Indian dry measure, averaging 240 grains in weight; also, a Bombay weight of 72 grains, for pearls.
--Simmonds.

1610s, "pool or lake for irrigation or drinking water," a word originally brought by the Portuguese from India, from a Hindi source, such as Gujarati tankh "cistern, underground reservoir for water," Marathi tanken, or tanka "reservoir of water, tank." Perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit tadaga-m "pond, lake pool," and reinforced in later sense of "large artificial container for liquid" (1680s) by Portuguese tanque "reservoir," from estancar "hold back a current of water," from Vulgar Latin *stanticare (see stanch). But other sources say the Portuguese word is the source of the Indian ones. Meaning "fuel container" is recorded from 1902. Slang meaning "detention cell" is from 1912. Railroad tank-car is from 1874.\n

\nIn military use, "armored, gun-mounted vehicle moving on continuous articulated tracks," the word originated late 1915. In "Tanks in the Great War" [1920], Brevet Col. J.F.C. Fuller quotes a memorandum of the Committee of Imperial Defence dated Dec. 24, 1915, recommending the proposed "caterpillar machine-gun destroyer" machines be entrusted to an organization "which, for secrecy, shall be called the 'Tank Supply Committee,' ..." In a footnote, Fuller writes, "This is the first appearance of the word 'tank' in the history of the machine." He writes that "cistern" and "reservoir" also were put forth as possible cover names, "all of which were applicable to the steel-like structure of the machines in the early stages of manufacture. Because it was less clumsy and monosyllabic, the name 'tank' was decided on." They were first used in action at Pozieres ridge, on the Western Front, Sept. 15, 1916, and the name was quickly picked up by the soldiers. Tank-trap attested from 1920.

1900, "to put into a tank," from tank (n.). Meaning "to lose or fail" attested from 1976, originally in tennis jargon, specifically in an interview with Billie Jean King in "Life" magazine, Sept. 22, 1967:\n\n"When our men don't feel like trying," she says, "They 'tank' [give up]. I never tanked a match in my life and I never saw a girl do it. The men do it all the time in minor tournaments when they don't feel like hustling. You have to be horribly competitive to win in big-time tennis."\n\nSometimes said to be from boxing, in some sense, perhaps from the notion of "taking a dive," but evidence for this is wanting. Related: Tanked; tanking. Adjective tanked "drunk" is from 1893.

Etymology 1 n. 1 A closed container for liquids or gases. 2 An open container or pool for storing water or other liquids. 3 A pond, pool, or small lake, natural or artificial. 4 The fuel reservoir of a vehicle. 5 The amount held by a container; a tankful. 6 An armoured fighting vehicle, armed with a gun in a turret, and moving on caterpillar tracks. 7 (context Australian and Indian English English) A reservoir or dam. 8 (context Southwestern US chiefly Texas English) A large metal container, usually placed near a wind-driven water pump, in an animal pen or field. 9 (context Southwestern US chiefly Texas English) By extension a small pond for the same purpose. 10 (context slang English) A very muscular and physically imposing person. Somebody who is built like a tank. 11 (context role-playing games board games video games English) a unit or character designed primarily around damage absorption and holding the attention of the enemy (as opposed to dealing damage, healing, or other tasks) vb. 1 To fail or fall (often used in describing the economy or the stock market); to degenerate or decline rapidly; to plummet. 2 (context video games English) To attract the attacks of an enemy target in cooperative team-based combat, so that one's teammates can defeat the enemy in question more efficiently. 3 To put fuel into a tank 4 To deliberate lose a sports match with the intent of gaining a perceived future competitive advantage. Etymology 2

n. 1 A small Indian dry measure, averaging 240 grains in weight. 2 A Bombay weight of 72 grains, for pearls.

1. v. store in a tank by causing (something) to flow into it

2. treat in a tank; "tank animal refuse"

1. n. an enclosed armored military vehicle; has a cannon and moves on caterpillar treads [syn: army tank, armored combat vehicle, armoured combat vehicle]

2. a large (usually metallic) vessel for holding gases or liquids [syn: storage tank]

3. as much as a tank will hold [syn: tankful]

4. a freight car that transports liquids or gases in bulk [syn: tank car]

5. a cell for violent prisoners [syn: cooler]

A tank is an armoured combat vehicle. The other common meaning is a storage tank, a container, usually for liquids.

Tank may also refer to:

Tank is a 1984 comedy, drama, and action movie starring James Garner, Jenilee Harrison, and C. Thomas Howell. The film was written by Dan Gordon and directed by Marvin J. Chomsky. It was produced by Lorimar Productions and was commercially released in the United States by Universal Studios on March 16, 1984.

Tank is a two-player arcade game by Atari Inc. subsidiary Kee Games, originally released on November 5, 1974 and designed by Steve Bristow and Lyle Rains.

A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle with tracks and a large tank gun that is designed for front-line combat. Modern tanks are mobile land weapon platforms, mounting a large- calibre cannon in a rotating gun turret. They combine this with heavy vehicle armour which provides protection for the crew, the vehicle's weapons, and its propulsion systems, and operational mobility, due to its use of tracks rather than wheels, which allows the tank to move over rugged terrain and be positioned on the battlefield in advantageous locations. These features enable the tank to perform well in a tactical situation: the combination of powerful weapons fire from their tank gun, and their ability to survive enemy fire means the tank can engage the enemy even under fire. In both offensive and defensive roles, they are powerful units that are capable of performing the key primary taskswhich are required of armoured units on the battlefield. The modern tank was the result of a century of development from the first primitive armoured vehicles, due to improvements in technology such as the internal combustion engine, which allowed the rapid movement of heavy armoured vehicles. As a result of these advances, tanks underwent tremendous shifts in capability in the years since their first appearance.

Tanks in World War I were developed separately and simultaneously by Great Britain and France as a means to break the deadlock of trench warfare on the Western Front. Their first use in combat was by the British Army in September 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. The name "tank" was adopted by the British during the early stages of their development, as a security measure to conceal their purpose (see etymology). While the French and British built thousands of tanks in WWI, Germany was unconvinced of the tank's potential, and built only twenty.

Tanks of the interwar period evolved into the much larger and more powerful designs of World War II. Important concepts of armoured warfare were developed; the Soviet Union launched the first mass tank/air attack at Khalkhin Gol ( Nomonhan) in August 1939, and later developed the T-34, one of the predecessors of the main battle tank. Less than two weeks later, Germany began their large-scale armoured campaigns that would become known as blitzkrieg ("lightning war") – massed concentrations of tanks supported by motorised and mechanized infantry, artillery and air power designed to break through the enemy front and collapse enemy resistance.

The widespread introduction of high-explosive anti-tank warheads during the second half of WWII led to lightweight infantry-carried anti-tank weapons such as the Panzerfaust, which could destroy some types of tanks. Tanks in the Cold War were designed with these weapons in mind, and led to greatly improved armours during the 1960s, especially composite armour. Improved engines, transmissions and suspensions allowed tanks of this period to grow larger. Aspects of gun technology changed significantly as well, with advances in shell design and aiming technology.

During the Cold War, the main battle tank concept arose and became a key component of modern armies. In the 21st century, with the increasing role of asymmetrical warfare and the end of the Cold War, that also contributed to the increase of cost-effective Russian anti-tank weapons worldwide, the importance of tanks has waned. Modern tanks seldom operate alone, as they are organized into combined arms units which involve the support of infantry, who may accompany the tanks in infantry fighting vehicles. They are also usually supported by reconnaissance or ground-attack aircraft.

Tank is a British heavy metal band, formed in 1980 by Algy Ward, a former member of The Damned. The band is known as part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement. Tank was often compared to Motörhead as both bands, trios fronted by singing bassists, played a loose, almost punk-styled metal music with often colourful lyrics.

Lü Jianzhong (born 6 February 1982), better known by his stage name Tank, is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter. He is currently signed to HIM International Music. His debut album, Fighting (; Fighting, The Law of Surviving) was released on February 23, 2006. His latest album, The 3rd Round, was released on May 31, 2009.

Durrell Babbs (born January 1, 1976), better known by his stage name Tank, is an American R&B singer-songwriter and producer.

Tank is the fifth studio album by British alternative electronica band Asian Dub Foundation.

A tank is an obsolete unit of mass in India approximately equal to 4.4 g (69 gr). After metrication in the mid-20th century, the unit became obsolete.

However sources also indicate that higher and lower values were used. In Mumbai (formerly Bombay), the tank equalled 17 1/72 grains (about 1.1 grams), and 72 tanks equalled 30 pice. In the 16th century, the tank was reported to be 20.96 g (323.46 grain).

TRAF family member-associated NF-kappa-B activator is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TANK gene.

Tank is an independent UK-based magazine launched in 1998. It is a quarterly publication, printed in the UK, that covers contemporary culture, fashion, art, architecture, technology and politics. The magazine is considered one of the pioneering publications in boutique magazine publishing, balancing fewer advertisements with a high cover price. Since its launch, the Tank group has expanded to include Tank Form, tank.tv, TankBooks and Because magazine.

Tank (born Eric Geisenheyner on July 1, 1977, in Hamburg, Germany) is a German musician and martial artist known best as the vocalist on several hit techno songs. Born to Ghanaian parents, he was adopted by a family in Hamburg following the accidental death of his parents. He first came to prominence by winning several Karate championships in Hamburg, and eventually won a national championship.

Although he had always been an enthusiast of Progressive electronic music, it was Tank’s encounter with some DJs at a club in Hamburg, that spurred him on to consider a career in music. The producers invited him to be the vocalist on "Can U Feel The Bass", which was still in production at this time. He accepted the invitation, and the song went on to become a hit in 1997. The following year, they teamed up again to release another club track entitled "The Return Of Power", whose music video was shot in London.

Personalities that Tank has collaborated with include Sista Rude, DJ Darling, Christopher Von Deylen, and Dee Jay Sören.

Tank or The Tank is the nickname of:

• David "Tank" Abbott (born 1965), mixed martial artist
• Júlio Baptista, Brazilian football player nicknamed "The Tank"
• William "Tank" Black (born 1957), disgraced former sports agent
• George Carr (baseball) (1894-1948), American Negro league baseball player
• Cornellius Carradine (born 1989), American football player
• Tank Collins (born 1969), American retired basketball player
• Tank Daniels (born 1981), American football player
• Tony Gordon (rugby) (c. 1948/1949-2012), New Zealand rugby league and rugby union player and coach
• Tank Johnson (born 1981), American football player
• Frank Kaminsky (born 1993), American basketball player
• Henry "Tank" Powell (born 1945), American politician
• Tank Tyler (born 1985), American football player
• Tank van Rooyen (1892-1942), South African rugby union and rugby league footballer
• Tank Williams (born 1980), American football player
• Paul "Tank" Younger (1928-2001), pioneering African-American football player